BEETLES (Coleoptcra] INJURIOUS TO ROSES. 



Three kinds of beetles only are complained of as 

 enemies to Roses, namely, the Rose Beetle, the Cock- 

 chafers and the Weevils. The latter are of little im- 

 portance as far as we know in Britain. 



The Rose Beetle (Cetonia aurata). 

 This beautiful beetle is frequently found in the 

 blossoms and when present in numbers does a good 

 deal of harm. Its distribution is very wide in Britain, 

 but it becomes rarer as we proceed northwards. The 

 beetles are also called Green Rose Chafers. They are 

 harmful to many other plants besides Roses. Damage is 

 done by doth adults and their grubs or larvae. The 

 former eat the petals of Roses and the foliage, the latter 

 the delicate and even thick roots. The brilliant shiny 

 coppery green beetles have a few pale creamy marks on 

 the wing cases (Plate V., Fig. i). They fly readily in 

 bright sunshine, but in dull, damp and cold weather they 

 are very sluggish and are then found nestling in the 

 Rose blossoms. The anthers of flowers are mostly 

 attacked, but also the petals and even the Rose leaves. 



LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS. 



The beetles appear in the middle of May and con- 

 tinue on through June. They deposit their eggs in the 

 ground, especially choosing rich, light soil. The eggs 

 hatch into white grubs, swollen at the end, with large 

 brown head and six legs on the first three rings of the 

 body, and are very like the grubs of the Cockchafers, but 

 they have longer legs and a deep reddish-brown spot on 

 each side of the first thoracic segment. The food con- 

 sists of the roots of various plants besides the Rose. 



